Study: Alcohol A Major Problem For U.S. Lawyers

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A new study shows that lawyers are hitting the bottle more often than other Americans.

According to Startribune.com, attorneys use alcohol to cope with anxiety and stress.

A study conducted by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association found that 21 percent of practicing lawyers qualify as problem drivers (a number three times higher than the general adult population), 28 percent struggle with some degree of depression and 19 percent demonstrate symptoms of anxiety.

Attorneys say this can be attributed to the personal nature of their jobs.

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"As a lawyer, it's not just an 8-to-5 job," said Kelly Olmstead, President of the Ramsey County Bar Association. "You take people's problems and fears and worries and their freedom home with you at night, and when you win or lose a case, you know that that's somebody's life."

Another thing that might explain the increased alcohol consumption, is a culture of clients and peers networking over drinks at happy hours and other social engagements.

Olmstead said that she believes the underlying issue is lawyers struggling with their regular exposure to trauma.

"There's this extraordinary responsibility to the community depending on what job you are doing," she said, "and [lawyers] are intimately engaged in other people's sensitive and challenging events in their lives."